MAINZ, Germany, August 20, 2026

BioNTech SE is set to highlight major progress across its lung cancer clinical development pipeline at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) 2026, taking place September 12–15 in Seoul, South Korea. The company will present new clinical findings covering Pumitamig, Gotistobart, BNT116 and innovative combination approaches, reinforcing its expanding focus on lung cancer research. The most notable update is the planned presentation of the first global clinical data for Pumitamig combined with Elfetabart Drozuntecan, a novel treatment strategy pairing a PD-L1 × VEGF-A bispecific immunomodulator with a B7H3-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). The program reflects BioNTech’s broader strategy of developing differentiated treatment combinations designed to address significant unmet needs across lung cancer subtypes and treatment settings.

BioNTech Expands Innovative Lung Cancer Combination Strategy

BioNTech will present initial data from the global Phase 1/2 clinical study NCT06892548, evaluating Pumitamig plus Elfetabart Drozuntecan in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The combination represents an important development direction for BioNTech because it brings together two therapeutic mechanisms with potentially complementary activity. Pumitamig is being developed as a PD-L1 × VEGF-A bispecific immunomodulator, while Elfetabart Drozuntecan targets B7H3 through an ADC approach. BioNTech’s presentation is particularly relevant from a pipeline perspective because it demonstrates the company’s effort to move beyond single-agent development and evaluate innovative combination therapies that could potentially broaden treatment options for patients with advanced lung cancer. Pumitamig is being developed in collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb, while Elfetabart Drozuntecan is being developed in collaboration with Duality Biologics.

BioNTech Advances Pumitamig Across Multiple Clinical Settings

The WCLC program also highlights the breadth of Pumitamig development across different lung and thoracic cancer settings. BioNTech will present long-term progression-free survival and overall survival information from a study evaluating first-line Pumitamig plus chemotherapy in unresectable malignant mesothelioma. In addition, the company will provide updates on ROSETTA Lung-201, a Phase 3 study evaluating Pumitamig monotherapy against durvalumab in unresectable Stage III NSCLC following chemoradiation, and ROSETTA Lung-202, a Phase 3 study comparing first-line Pumitamig monotherapy with pembrolizumab in locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC. These programs demonstrate that BioNTech is positioning Pumitamig as a potentially important component of its late-stage lung cancer pipeline, with development extending across different disease stages, treatment lines and therapeutic strategies.

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BioNTech Reports Updated Gotistobart Survival Data

Another key component of BioNTech’s WCLC presence is Gotistobart, a CTLA-4-directed candidate being developed with OncoC4. The company will present updated overall survival data from Stage 1 of the Phase 3 PRESERVE-003 study, which is evaluating Gotistobart versus docetaxel in patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC whose disease progressed following previous anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. The program is focused on a population with limited treatment options after immunotherapy progression, making the development of chemotherapy-free treatment approaches particularly relevant. BioNTech will also present preliminary results from a Phase 1 study evaluating BNT116 in combination with cemiplimab, carboplatin and paclitaxel in resectable NSCLC. Overall, these presentations underline the company’s continued expansion of its lung cancer clinical pipeline, which currently includes 16 ongoing clinical studies, including five Phase 3 studies and two studies evaluating innovative combination strategies.

Source: BioNTech,, press relese